£2m boost to council estate

SOME £2m is to be injected into the regeneration of a “long forgotten” residential area.

At a meeting of Chesterfield Borough Council, cabinet members voted unanimously in favour of investing in Barrow Hill following a consultation with residents last summer.

In line with the community’s wishes, the focus will be on improving the environment including boundary walls and fencing, improving green spaces, footpaths and parking arrangements.

Further involvement of residents over the improvements will now follow the decision to spend up to £2m over the next two years in the ‘London Boroughs’ estate – the area between Station Road and Campbell Drive.

Amanda Sergeant, assistant executive member for housing on Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “We are proposing a consultation with the community over the investment of £2m in Barrow Hill to make it a key area for regeneration.

“It is a long forgotten area that deserves this kind of investment.”

Residents will be invited to an open meeting and consulted as individuals during the next stage of the consultation, which is expected to begin in late spring. Work will then start on the regeneration in early summer.

John Burrows, leader of the council, said: “It is very much part of our priority to take this into an area that deserves investment.”

Cllr Jim McManus, executive member for housing, said after the meeting: “Too often people say Barrow Hill has been forgotten but this shows that it is very much in our minds.

Ready

“We have consulted, listened and are now ready to go forward working with local residents to improve their environment.”

He added: “In addition to the obvious money being invested in the estate we will also be piloting a new approach to working together with local people by combining the work of all of the various council services in the area into a single concerted effort for maximum impact.”

l What do you think of the regeneration plans? Email comment@derbyshiretimes.co.uk